David O'Brien (politician)

David Roland Joseph O'Brien (born 2 September 1970) is an Australian politician who represented the National Party of Australia in the Victorian Legislative Council.

O'Brien was born in Melbourne and educated at Sacred Heart Primary School, and then overseas at Marion Donaldson Elementary School (in Tucson, Arizona), Rygaards International School (in Copenhagen, Denmark) and Hendrik Louw School (in Strand, South Africa). He returned to Melbourne where he attended Xavier College, then studied law and economics at Monash University.

Prior to being elected to Parliament, he practised as a Barrister at the Supreme Court of Victoria and as a solicitor at King & Wood Mallesons. O'Brien has also been the licensee of the Penshurst Hotel and involved in primary production and live music.

O'Brien was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council as a Member for the Western Victoria Region at the 2010 election. Previously he was the unsuccessful Nationals candidate for the seat of South West Coast at the 2006 election.

O'Brien was the Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Legislative Council, but lost his seat in 2014 to James Purcell, representing Vote 1 Local Jobs. Whilst in Parliament he served on the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee, the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee, the Family and Community Development Committee, the Accountability and Oversight Committee, the Legal and Social Issues Committee, the House Committee and in 2014 as chair of the Rural and Regional Committee.

In September 2015, O'Brien was pre-selected by the National Party to contest the Polwarth state by-election following the resignation of the Liberal MP Terry Mulder.